5.0 Alsace Flashcards
Climate of Alsace?
- Northerly latitude
- Continental climate, cold winter, warm, sunny, summers
- Rain shadow from Vosges mountains therefore dry + wind protection
- 600mm annual rainfall
- Moderate rainfall
- summer drought - no irrigation allowed
- wettest in summer (prob for fruitset/veraisson)
- driest at autumn (harvest) long ripening /growing season (dry warm autumn)
- Fohn wind: warm + dry~ reduces inci fungal disease
- Marked diurnal temps esp. on higher sites; retaining Acidity
What role do the soils play in the style of the wines?
- Diverse VY sites, range of altitude, suits different varieties
- Best VY between 200m - 400m, facing S/SE/SW
- On hillsides: lower fertility; better draining, promoting slower growth; better quality
- Plains between foothils and Rhine
- Deeper, fertile; more growth - less concentration and flavour in the grapes
Riesling - no 1 in Alsace - give detais on the varietal and the wines produced
RIESLING – most planted white: >21% of total plantings
- Cold-hardy, buds late, ripens late
- Needs full exposure to sun; good drainage; long growing season to ripen fully
- If these conditions met - good Q/hi yields 70hl/ha
- Disease resistant - D & P MD, BBR
- Pron/M aroma; normally unoaked; Hi acid
- Alsace Style (Fuller, drier & more mineral vs. German Rieslings):
- Dry; (no RS or so low - not evident on palate due to hi acid);
- m-f body; m/h acid; citrus, stone fruit, steely char
- ageing potential
Gewurztraminer - describe the varietal and the wines produced
GEWURZTRAMINER
- Early budding(frost) Early ripening (avoiding Autumn rains)
- Picked late for full ripeness, max aromas, avoid unripe (it rapidly accum sugar)
- Vigorous but moderately productive
- careful pruning; canopy management (vigour)
- coulure - reduces yields
- Susc to chlorosis PM, BBR; grapevine moth
- virus free clones have been produced to reduce these issues
- Wines
- M Lemon (grapes are light pink)
- Pron aromas: Lychee, Peach/Apricot, Rose, Spice
- M/h alc; m/f body; Low acidity; dry to sweet
- G/OS Q, mid-prem price
Pinot Blanc - the varietal and the wines produced
PINOT BLANC & AUXERROIS – 2nd most planted:
- Early budding (frost)
- Susc to fungal disease.
- Early ripening - misses autumn rain and staggers harvest
- Light Intensity pear and apple, m acid; m alc
- Acc/Good – with few very good examples
- Inexpensive to Mid-priced
Auxerrois - early ripening, low acid, low aroma - used for blends in still wines or in Cremant d’Alsace
Pinot Gris - describe the varietal and the wines produced
PINOT GRIS – 4th most planted:
- Early budding; (Frosts); Early ripening - miss the aut rain
- Moderate yields
- Susceptible to BBR; DM
- Med int peach apple, m alc, f body, m acid, best have oily rich texture
- capacity to age; dev honey & smoky notes
- Range of styles: dry to Sweet
- PG can see a rapid rise in sugar levels & a drop in Acidity; thus, picking time important
- Climate change has seen earlier picking;
- Market shift to drier styles; Dry 12.5-13.5%ABV
- rather than off dry 13.5%ABV
- Good to Outstanding; Mid to Premium
Pinot Noir - describe the varietal and the wines produced
PINOT NOIR: (now 11% of vineyard plantings and growing)
- Only black grape allowed for AOC wines
- Warming climate, improved knowledge of winemaking techniques from Burgundy, Germany has raised the quality levels with oaked & unoaked
- Pale ruby; Red berry fruits; smoke from oak
- Develops earthy, leather with age
- Unoaked/oaked styles
- Lighter style vs. Burgundy
- Domaine Mure and Domaine Albert Mann – best producers
Sylvaner
SYLVANER:
- In decline; maj from old vines (PG and PB easier to grow)
- Very little located on the valley floor
- Gaining a reputation for good value wines of very good quality
- Lower in aroma & acid than Riesling
- produces simple wines, subtle fruit green to tropical, if yields are controlled
Muscat?
MUSCAT:
- Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains & Muscat Ottonel grown in tiny amounts
- Muscat Ottonel - ripens earlier, making it attractive to avoiding Autumn rains
- Wines:
- Highly Aromatic floral, grapey;
- L/m body
- M alcohol
- L/m acidity
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What are the four noble grape varieties of Alsace?
Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris.
VY Mgmt - training methods used, density of plantings, main hazards?
-
Trellising / Training
- Single or Double Guyot (cane pruning), required by AOC regulations
- Fruit zone trained high at 1-1.2m - red risk from frost & humidity esp on the plain
- Canopy high 1.9m > max exp to sun, thus wider spacing to avoid shade
- Density 4400-4800 v/ha less dense on plain, denser on slope
- Steepest slopes are terraced
- Mechanization in plains, hand work on steep slopes /many passes diff var..
-
Hazards: Pests, Powdery Mildew, grape vine Moth, Esca (lately)
- Warm dry summer + Low rainfall reducing fungal disease
- 15% Organic vineyards – nationally the average is 10%
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Harvest
- Long autumn and long harvest (Sept-Nov).
- range of styles (dry, late harvest, Noble rot)
- variety of VY sites - flat /gentle mechanised, steep by hand, Noble rot by hand, several passes
Alsace winemaking options - what are the general ones used?
- Most single var, wm tech to preserve prim fruit
Skin contact (Some prod)
- Pre-ferm skin contact or keeping grapes in the press - ext flavour, add texture
Fermentation
- Cooler temps for Muscat, Riesling, Sylvaner (14° - 16°C)
- Mid range for Gewurztraminer (up to 21°C)
- to support the yeast fermenting to dry with high alc levels (Gew has high sugar)
- avoid banana flavours not desirable in Gew.
- Inert (trad old oak or SS ) temp cont vessels- no oak aromas normally desired -
- Some prod use ambient yeast
- Generally malo C is avoided to retain prim fruit
Ageing/Maturing
- Ageing in same large neutral containers on fine lees, no stirring (prim flav)
- Historically no consistency about fermenting dry or with RS
- Increasingly prod are indicating sweetness on back label
- Region in process of agreeing a std approach
What 2 labeling terms are used for blended Alsace wines and what is the difference between them?
‘Edelzwicker’ and ‘Gentil’.
“Gentil” is the superior denomination, must be made from 50% noble varietals with each wine used being of AOC standard
“Edelzwicker” can be a blend of any grapes, does not need to list vintage or grapes used, inexpensive blended wine.
What regulations govern this AOC
Alsace AOC
Chaptalisation allowed, EU Rules, used in cool years
Yields
- Alsace AOC + Commune +Lieuxs Dits
- Pinot Gris / Gewurzt 80 hl/ha 72 hl/ha 68 hl/ha
- Riesling 90 hl/ha ALL
- Pinot Blanc 100 hl/ha
- Alsace Pinot Noir AOC: 60hl/ha
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Alsace Grand Cru 55 hl/ha (down to 50 in some)
-
Grand Cru normally restricted to noble variety
- e.g. Rangen, Geisber, Schoenenbourg
- 3 VY can produce either a blend or Sylvaner as G Cru
- e.g. Altenberg de Bergheim
-
51 Gr Cru VY have become individual grand crus
- means they can vary their rules (reduce yields, intro new varieties etc)
-
Grand Cru normally restricted to noble variety
-
Blends:
- Edelzwicker (can be a blend of any of the white varietals, generally considered to be of lower quality)
-
Gentil (using 50% Noble varietals – and the wines is deemed a superior designation and each wine used must be of AOC status)
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What does
Vendage Tardive or Selection de Grains Nobles
mean on the label?
- May be made only from Noble varieties
- High min sugar levels needed in must
- No requirement for VT to have noble rot affected fruit , or to be sweet (which is the basic problem with this appellation - you cannot tell what you are buying from the label)
- SGN - always BBR grapes and sweet
- Min sugar levels at harvest must give 14% - 15% abv ferm dry
VT Must Weight SGN Must Weight
- Riesling and Muscat 235 g/l 276g/l
- PG, Gewurzt 257 g/l 306g/l
